


Home

by Chexmixup



Series: Warriors of Hope and SDR2 [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, F/M, Sort of introspective, more family oriented, not romantic - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-03 00:33:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8689654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chexmixup/pseuds/Chexmixup
Summary: How long till a house becomes a home?





	

**Author's Note:**

> back at it again with those warriors of hope fics! you're right, i am once again on it while i take a break from my mysme and personal projects. so i'm finishing up lazy projects i'd started much earlier this year.
> 
> Here's a new AU that people haven't touched yet (at least I don't think). Well, this was an AU I'd been playing around with for some time, discussing it with my friends on and off. We pretty much discussed our favorite pairings of SDR2 raising the warriors of hope. Individually, we thought there were certain pairings that would be good and help nurture the kids short comings. The pairings we decided on were Hinata and Nanami raising Shingetsu, Sonia and Tanaka raising Kemuri, Kuzuryuu and Peko for Daimon, and Utsugi with Saionji and Koizumi. The common theme here will be the children met in an orphanage where they went their ways until they attended Hopes Peak (again, this is obviously a Non-Despair AU). The four fics to establish the growth will be Home, Family, Love, and Warmth. Those are the ones to read to establish the basic foundation of the familial structure. There will also be a few oneshots here and there, and they won't necessarily be posted in order of a correct timeline. Most of these fics will focus on familial love and growth of character, but knowing me there will be a few Nagisa/Jataro or other kid-centric fics that are just there for fun and cutesy affect. I'm hoping most things will be explained in the fics that are to come because I hate giving everything away up front, but don't be afraid to ask on things that are unclear! It is a pretty obscure AU.
> 
> Anyways, with that being said, please enjoy the fic and leave your feedback if you enjoyed it.

After a week of living there, coming to his new apartment from school was still unfamiliar. He shook off the cold as he set his backpack down and kicked off his shoes. He’d need to get a jacket, he wasn’t sure he had one outside of his school uniform.

 

The apartment was warm and inviting, normally smelling of coffee from either Hajime or Chiaki- depending on their daily activities- but a week’s stay wasn’t long enough for him to call it home. He would need time. Time to call the strangers as his guardians. As far as he was concerned, he would be grateful to them but nothing more. He’d do his best in school, impress them and give them something to brag about, and they would leave him be. He figured it’d be similar to before, except hopefully they’d just leave him to his own devices. After all, he was almost eleven. He could take care of it himself.

 

He walked to the kitchen, though he didn’t necessarily feel right about getting a snack as once again, it wasn’t his home, and instead he went straight to his room to study and finish his homework. As he passed the living room, he found Chiaki asleep on the couch. From what he’d gathered, she worked as a game developer and tester, having gotten the job right out of high school. It explained why she was gripping her controller and why the tv displayed a menu screen. But he found it somewhat odd; Her work should take priority, in his mind. She could sleep when it was done.

 

But it wasn’t his place to make judgement, so he continued to his room. It wasn’t for another few hours that he was disturbed by a knock on the door. It certainly woke him from the trance of focus he seemed to be in and slowly he went to answer the knock. Hajime is standing on the other side, dressed fully in his work uniform, as if he’d just gotten home. He offered a slight smile as Nagisa looked up at him, only mustering a look of confusion. Why was he standing at his door? Had he done something wrong? Had the school called? No, that was impossible, he’d done everything right! There was no reason to call home! So what was it, what did he want with him?

 

He must’ve made a face because Hajime’s smile seemed to show a bit more sympathy. He didn’t care for that look, so he tried to hone in his expression.

 

“Are you feeling okay?” Hajime had asked after a moment, and the prodigy blinked a bit before returning his gaze.

 

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” A quick reply, and maybe it sounded a little sharp but the brunet seems unaffected.

 

“Of course, I was just checking on you. I wanted to know how your day went!” He pauses for a moment, glancing back at the hallway before returning to Nagisa with a warm smile. “Come join me in the kitchen and we can grab something to eat while you tell me.”

 

Once again, the blue-haired boy was struck by how inviting his adoptive guardian was trying to be. But, it’d be rude to turn him down. Besides, he couldn’t find a good reason to. So, looking to his feet as he shuffled out of his room, he mutters “You are a strange one,” but closes the door and makes his way to the kitchen with Hajime chuckling beside him.

 

“What are you hungry for?” He asked as he walked to the cupboards. He’s a foot taller than Nagisa, making the other look up at him from where he stands. Once again, he has a look of shock and can only stare for a moment as he adjusts to the unfamiliar kindness.

 

“I… I have a choice?” He stutters and once again, Hajime chuckles,

 

“Of course, you’re the one eating it. Here, we don’t have all that much; Tonight, if you’d like, you can run to the store with me and we can pick up snacks and things you’d like to eat after school.” He offers and Nagisa can’t understand why he is being so generous to someone who was practically a stranger. But he accepts.

 

\---

 

In a month, he finds himself more comfortable. He looks forward to coming to the apartment when he has long days, so he assumes that may be a sign that he’s getting used to the place. He still can’t call it home, but he’d never really had a place he considered home in the first place. He considered his friends home, if that had counted, but he hadn’t seen them since he left the orphanage.

 

Oh well.

 

As he returns home, Chiaki is awake and waiting for him like he’d grown accustomed to. He wonders why that changed, why she stopped sleeping in as much. It certainly wasn’t because she wasn’t tired, her bags under her eyes spoke volumes, so why did she make the effort to greet him? He couldn’t understand, but he didn’t decline her offer.

 

“I need your opinion on this game, care to play with me?” She holds out the controller to him as if she already knows his answer, and of course he isn’t saying no. So he sits beside her and accepts the controller and soon they are falling back into a pattern that he’d started to become accustomed to. The game began and the graphics that once used to strain his eyes now flow along smoothly.

 

“It looks nicer than before, did the updated model come in?” Nagisa starts, and Chiaki nods.

 

“Mhm, I stopped by the office that while you were at school,” She says though her eyes are glued to the screen. He wonders if she wears contacts, surely her eyes couldn’t be in the best of conditions. “Anyways, how was school? I know you’ll say good, but…” She trails off and the prodigy recognizes that she’s focusing on her game. Her train of thought is paused, not quite stopped. “... But,” She continues once her combo is finished. “I want to hear about some of the things you did. Do you enjoy your classes?” She says softly and Nagisa has completely stopped playing the game, but she hasn’t noticed yet.

 

He thinks for a moment about her question before shrugging and setting down the controller. He didn’t play that much, but he doubts she cares. He’s fairly certain she just uses the game as an excuse to break the ice, to keep him from locking himself up in his room. He assumes it’s working.

 

“I suppose so. It’s only school, it isn’t supposed to be enjoyable,” He comments, and he swears he’d never seen her come to life like she did. Her eyes widened and her game was paused, controller discarded to the side so she could turn her attention to him. His heart stops and he’s flinching before he even realizes it, his hands shaking. “...Did I...Did I say something wrong?” His voice cracks as he prepares himself for what’s sure to come next. His birth father was the same way, he knew what to expect.

 

However, her expression falls into something of confusion before a simple frown. He searches over and over for the disappointment she must be feeling, but he can’t find it. He must be missing it.

 

“You’re not enjoying school?” Her voice is calm as ever, and he feels his heart drop. He can always take it back, but something tells him he won’t get away with it.

 

“Uhm… Well… No…” He murmurs, looking away because surely there is disappointment in her eyes now. Surely his punishment is coming next.

 

So he waited. And waited. And waited for what felt like an eternity. His palms were sweaty from how he gripped them. And he continued to wait, until he heard her patient voice. “Nagisa, can you look at me? You aren’t in trouble.” She gently places her hand on his shoulder and he jumps from anticipation alone, his eyes darting to her as she pulls her hand away. “...Why do you think you’re in trouble for saying that?”

 

He’s quick to try and contradict her, to direct her away from his insecurities. “I don’t think I’m-”

 

“Your face gives away a lot,” She admits before smiling gently. “It’s okay if you’re not enjoying school.” She pauses, a frown taking over her features. “Well, actually, it’s not really okay. I think you should have fun in school, otherwise you won’t like what you’re learning,” She says and huffs. “If you want, I can go to the school tomorrow and maybe we can find a schedule that you might enjoy more. That way, you’ll get the most out of your time in school,” She’s back to smiling, and Nagisa is in pure shock.

 

She… Didn’t care if he didn’t take academic courses? She wanted him to have fun? She wanted him to enjoy school his way?

 

“...I… I think I might like that…” He murmurs and she pats his shoulder.

 

“Now do you want to get back to this game?”

 

He’s never been more enthusiastic to play.

 

\---

 

Maybe it’s year when he realizes he calls this place home. He’s running into the apartment, pulling off his coat and kicking his shoes haphazardly to the side. He can’t wait to get home, his home, after such a terrible day. Maybe that’s why he called it his home: he wasn’t thinking clearly and he wanted a place where there was a sense of security. He hadn’t realized the place offered him that feeling before.

 

The prodigy runs past Chiaki and her cozy position in the living room, not offering any greeting or even acknowledgement to her presence. He’d never shown that kind of disrespect to them before; He’d have to deal with the punishment later, whatever it may be. When he reaches his room- at long last, it was like he’d never make it!- he slams the door shut and locks it. He knows how cliche it is, especially now that he’s almost twelve, but maybe there’s a comfort in being isolated to his room. That’s how it used to be, anyways.

 

So he sits in silence. He sits and reflects on the fact that he’d let himself believe, even momentarily, that he could do well without pressure. That he was excelling. Without the constant pressure of needing to be better, he would always fail. He would always be a disappointment to his parents and his peers. He shouldn’t be allowed to be proud of himself. Tears of frustration spilled onto his cheeks and so he covered his face with his hands, his cheeks flaring red with embarrassment. How stupid could he have been? How could he let this happen?

 

It only took moments for a knock on the door. Not a pound, nothing demanding, just a gentle knock to pull him from his spiraling thoughts. Of course he’d alerted Chiaki. For someone so dazed, she seemed fairly perceptive. How could he have not realized he would draw her attention? His guilt doubled, his grief doubling as well making his tears pour faster. How could he?!

 

“...Nagisa? What's going on…?” Her voice is ladened with sleep. He woke her up, great. He gripped his pants and let out another sob, ignoring her in favor of wallowing in his self pity. He ignores the passing of time as the seconds tick tick away and rather focuses on the sobs racking his body, focused on his thoughts as they scream his predictions of disappointment. When Chiaki and Hajime hear about this, they'll lose it. They'll throw him out like his birth family and he deserved it.

 

There's a soft thud on the other side of the door, a shuffling against the carpet, and silence. She was sitting against the door, waiting for him to talk to her. It weighs the burden in his chest, he chokes another sob and buries his face in his arms to let out a frustrated scream. It tore his voice apart but did nothing for his guilt, so he quieted.

 

“Something happened at school,” She says in a soft voice. It isn’t accusatory, but it isn’t a question either. “Was it another student, a teacher, or yourself?” She asks simply. He wants to sit silently, but her calm and imploring tone pushes him further. A rational part of him compromises that he’s a child, of course he wants he is looking for comfort in a stronger, secure figure. So maybe it’s okay if he answers her questions. It’s reasonable, after all.

 

“Me,” He says in a hoarse voice, and just the sound of it makes him curl in more on himself. He has to bite his cheek to keep himself from spilling everything.

 

“I see, I see,” She says softly. She’s quiet for a while; Nagisa’s panic tightens his throat as he realizes he shouldn’t have said anything to her. But then she clicks her tongue, and is speaking again. “Open the door so we can discuss this better.” Once again, it’s not a question. His hands start to tremble, he regrets ever speaking, but he stands. Once he hears the shuffling on the other end settle, he unlocks the door to the small room. He opens it even slower, his gaze at the white carpet.

 

All at once, he’s enveloped in a hug that feels warm and soft like fleece and smells like coffee. She’s tall enough that she can rest her chin on his head and comfortably fit her arms around him. It’s comfortable- it’s not the first time it’s happened since he’s arrived but it certainly is the first time he’s felt so emotional. She isn’t moving from the embrace, so he can wrap his arms around her without feeling quite embarrassed. Though, that period is short lived; once he’s got her in a hug, he feels the floodgates open and he begins to sob. In retrospect, that might have been her goal, but at current, he could only focus on the way her lithe fingers traced calming patterns into his jacket and the way she seemed to be too warm and comfortable. He was too distracted to feel the embarrassment at the way he cried into her chest, gripped her worn green jacket, and held to her like she was a lifeline.

 

He didn’t really know she had much physical strength until he’d been picked up and carried out to the couch. He also didn’t really notice he’d been moved until he was sat down in her lap, and her arms were no longer around him as they were struggling to grab a blanket to wrap him in. Other than that, there was nothing for him to notice. She didn’t speak, instead let him cry until the burden in his chest was light enough for him to breathe again.

 

Once he was able to take a staggering breath without feeling the need to cough it back out, he heard the door open. It registered, vaguely, that Hajime was either home early or that Nagisa had been crying for a lot longer than he’d thought. He didn’t think much about that though, resting his head on her chest as he felt the couch dip behind him.

 

“I failed my test,” He says finally, after the silence and what he presumed were mouthed words exchanged between his guardians. “I was reading something else during my study hall and forgot to study for my test. I’m sorry.” It was a simple admission, but he’d cried until he felt numb to what punishment was sure to come. But it didn’t. It was just silence. And then another hug from Chiaki, and a chuckle from Hajime.   
  


“This was the end all scenario I left work for?” His tone is light as he lets out another laugh.

 

Chiaki grumbles from above him. “He was concerned and so are we. Don’t make him feel bad for this.”

 

“I didn’t mean it like that-” He’s cut off by another one of her pointed scoffs and he gives a conceding sigh. “What I meant to say was that a test isn’t something you need to worry about. You aren’t alone in this, if you need any help studying, or just more time, talk to us, okay?”

 

Nagisa isn’t sure what reaction this is, and he’s too emotionally exhausted to think into it. He just nods. Chiaki speaks this time, a smile on her face. Well, he assumes there is one by the tone of her voice. He can’t see either of them, he doesn’t want to move from where he is comfortably nestled. “A test can be retaken. Grades can be improved. That isn’t all there is to life.” She stops herself for a moment. “I don’t know where you learned that, but I want you to know that for as long as you’re here, I’ll remind you of that.”

 

Hajime takes over again, almost as soon as his wife had stopped speaking. “When we were younger and still in high school, Chiaki used to tell me things like that too. I was worried about not having a talent, I didn’t want to be average. And every time I’d say something stupid like how she deserved to have talented friends, she would just tell me ‘Life is like a game. The point isn’t to win or lose, but to have fun’. And then she’d ask me if I was having fun with how things were. And, admittedly, I was having fun. I was making friends with her friends, I was at a school where people like me only dreamed to go.” He stopped himself to laugh. “I’m rambling, I’ll get to the point. If you’re enjoying what you’re doing, then there’s no problem with one poor test score.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

He didn’t realize how comfortable he really felt around these two strangers until he’d dozed off to their words of acceptance.

 

___

“Nagisa, go wake Chiaki for dinner!” The call itself was loud enough to wake her up, he belatedly thought as he clambered out of his bed and away from his ever-growing piles of books and instead trailed to the living room where his adoptive-mother lay sprawled on the couch. It had taken a year to learn the name of the game she’d been developing, and yet today when he was expecting the familiar jingle of the opening, he found a blank screen. It was shocking, but perhaps she’d taken a day off. It couldn’t be good for her eyes, he constantly thought that.

 

He stepped beside the couch and stared for a moment, the realization hitting him that he found this normal. Of course it was normal, he’d seen it every day for the past two years. Maybe it’d been odd at first, but now that was just… Just how Chiaki worked. She liked to sleep when she wasn’t working on her games.

 

He shakes off the wave of uneasiness he gets and shakes her awake.

 

“Hey, come on, it’s time to eat.”

 

“I’m up,” She says in a tone that suggests otherwise, but she does sit up. Her hair falls out of her face and she glances blearily at Nagisa before offering one of her tired smiles. “I hadn’t realized I slept so long, I didn’t even see you get home.” The prodigy shrugs as she stretches, shedding the blanket from her shoulders to lay in a heap on the couch. The two trail to the kitchen together, and she yawns again. “How was school today?”

 

“It was nice, but I almost missed the bus again.”

 

She smiled at this, sitting in her seat and watching as he took the head of their small table. “Was it that same history book?”

 

Despite himself, Nagisa lit up as he nodded. “It’s so enthralling! I think I know what my favorite topic is now, too,” He says before he can realize how embarrassingly comfortable he is. He’s acting like a child, and worse, they are letting him.

 

“And what’s that?” Hajime asks as he joins the conversation. He has plates to set down for the two of them before he sits down across Chiaki.

 

“World War One. It’s so strange when you think about it, but I think all those intricacies are what makes it interesting.” He feels satisfied when he hears them agree, Hajime making an offhanded comment on something he’d read about online that Nagisa doubts is true, and Chiaki simply agrees with Nagisa that the more complex, the more interesting anything may be.

 

The conversation trails into something light, and it’s then that Nagisa realizes he’s truly at home. He’s comfortable enough with the people in front of himself to stop acting like he has no insecurities. He can enjoy the world that passes him, try to live in a day rather than plan his next years. He has help he’d never had before. He has a home, and smiling faces to occupy it.

 

It took two years, Nagisa thinks, to call a house a home with a certainty that couldn’t be questioned.


End file.
